To fully appreciate Niagara wine country, the first step is to visit
Donald J.P. Ziraldo's site
(sorry, the site has been taken down), one of
Inniskillin Wines'
founders, about the history of Inniskillin and the art of wine
making. He shows you all the things
that make Niagara an excellent wine producing region, from the
soil and weather conditions to what is needed for icewine. He gives you
the whole process from start to finish on how they make their wine. Next, you'll want to
discover the wine routes
from the Wine Council of Ontario.Here you can spend a day and tour Niagara's wine
industry. Maybe you are an
Amateur
Winemaker and want to do it yourself. Here you'll
find links to sites where you can buy Niagara and Ontario juices
and grapes and learn how to make it yourself.Now if you want a career in the winemaking field, you may want to take a course
at Niagara's own Brock University, at the
Cool Climate Oenology and Viticulture Institute (CCOVI). To end your
Niagara wine country learning experience, you'll have to visit the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival
where you'll learn how we celebrate the grape harvest.

If you are interested in cooking with wine, there is a very important "rule of
thumb" for cooking with any wine. Don't cook with any wine that you wouldn't drink!
If it tastes like vinegar in the glass then you can be assured that it will taste like
vinegar in your food! If added early in a recipe, wine will be reduced and intensified; if
added later, the wine will add fresh taste. It all depends on what you want to achieve.

As for drinking wine with a meal, the old rule was red meat-red wine,
white meat-white wine. Now the rule is any combination you enjoy is a good combination!

Click on the
below thumbnails for a better view

Niagara grapes waiting for the
cold freezing weather for the production of ice wine

To protect the valuable grapes
from birds, the grapes are covered with a net

Have you seen this label on wine?

The Vintners Quality Alliance - VQA - is an Appellation of Origin system
by which consumers can identify wines of Ontario and British Columbia based on the origin
of the grapes from which they are produced. There are two distinct wine-growing regions in
Canada - the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. In Ontario the VQA officially
started in 1988. The Ontario VQA then requested that British Columbia undertake a similar
system, which it did in 1990. The label states which region the wine has come from.

Wines are evaluated by an independent panel of experts. Only those wines which meet or
exceed the production and appellation standards are awarded VQA status and are entitled to
display the VQA medallion. The gold VQA medallion is awarded only to those wines that
perform exceptionally as judged by the VQA tasting panel.

Drink wine, and you will
sleep well. Sleep, and you will not sin.
Avoid sin, and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine and be saved.

The Niagara Region is located along side the Niagara river, which connects Lake
Ontario and Lake Erie. Because of the Niagara Escarpment,
Niagara features some of the best farmland to be found anywhere. The lower escarpment is
where most of the vineyards are located. Niagara wines have been recognized around the
world in competitions as being outstanding. This rich soil and moderate climate also is
beneficial to the tender fruit growers (peaches,
strawberries etc.)

Niagara Falls

With Niagara Falls being the biggest attraction, it certainly isn't the only one. 12
million visitors a year can't be wrong. Tourism is a boom here with Casino Niagara, the
historic landmarks and shopping of Niagara-on-the-Lake, the
Welland
Canal, Great Lakes
fishing, and the Wine Route that connects over 20 wineries. We have an abundance of scenic
walking trails such as the Lake Ontario shoreline, the Niagara Parkway, and the Welland
canal.

The Welland canal is a true tourist attraction in itself. It, like the Niagara river,
connects Lakes Erie and Ontario, basically allowing ships to bypass Niagara Falls.
Niagara is blessed with many hotels, ranging from the big 4 star hotels in Niagara Falls
to the quaint Bed & Breakfasts of Niagara-on-the-Lake

Niagara,
which covers 1896 sq. km (715 sq. miles) with a
population of over 400,000, is made up of 12 unique and
distinct municipalities. Two of the larger populated cities are
St.
Catharines and Niagara Falls with a more rural setting in
Wainfleet and West
Lincoln.